*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of March

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *Māwortis? Proto-Italic *Māmart-? Old Latin Māvors Latin Mārs Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin Mārtius Latin mārtius Old Fren

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

The third month of the Gregorian calendar, following February and preceding April, containing the northward equinox. · A surname from Middle English for someone born in March, or for someone living near a boundary (marche). · A male given name from English. · A locality in the Cabonne council area, central New South Wales, Australia.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *Māwortis? Proto-Italic *Māmart-? Old Latin Māvors Latin Mārs Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin Mārtius Latin mārtius Old French mars Anglo-Norman marchebor. Middle English March English March From Middle English March, Marche, borrowed from Anglo-Norman marche, from Old French marz, from Latin mensis Mārtius (“the Martian month”), from earlier Mavors.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:March",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *Māwortis?\nProto-Italic *Māmart-?\nOld Latin Māvors\nLatin Mārs\nProto-Indo-European *-(i)yós\nProto-Italic *-ijos\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin Mārtius\nLatin mārtius\nOld French mars\nAnglo-Norman marchebor.\nMiddle English March\nEnglish March\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"month\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"god of war\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"Mars\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"Mars\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*Māwortis\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" }, { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"Mars\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"redlink\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*Māmart-\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Latin\", \"term\" : \"Māvors\", \"lang\" : \"itc-ola\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"Mārs\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"id\" : \"suffix forming adjectives\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"suffix forming adjectives\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-ijos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-(i)yós\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yós\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ios\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ios\", \"lang\" : \"itc-ola\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ius\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"Mārtius\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"mārtius\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"mars\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Anglo-Norman\", \"term\" : \"marche\", \"lang\" : \"xno\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"March\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"March\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"March\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "March"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English March"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "marche"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman marche"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "marz"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French marz"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "mensis Mārtius",
        "gloss": "the Martian month"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin mensis Mārtius (“the Martian month”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:March",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *Māwortis?\nProto-Italic *Māmart-?\nOld Latin Māvors\nLatin Mārs\nProto-Indo-European *-(i)yós\nProto-Italic *-ijos\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin Mārtius\nLatin mārtius\nOld French mars\nAnglo-Norman marchebor.\nMiddle English March\nEnglish March"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*Māwortis",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/Māwortis#Proto-Italic:_Mars"
    ],
    [
      "*Māmart-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/Māmart-#Proto-Italic:_Mars"
    ],
    [
      "Māvors",
      "Mavors#Latin:_Mars"
    ],
    [
      "Mārs",
      "Mars#Latin:_god_of_war"
    ],
    [
      "*-(i)yós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yós"
    ],
    [
      "*-ios",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-ios#Proto-Italic:_adjective_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-ios",
      "-ios#Latin:_suffix_forming_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-ius",
      "-ius#Latin:_suffix_forming_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "Mārtius",
      "Martius#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "mārtius",
      "martius#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "mars",
      "mars#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "marche",
      "marche#Old_French:_month"
    ],
    [
      "March",
      "March#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "March",
      "March#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Marche",
      "Marche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "marche",
      "marche#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "marz",
      "marz#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "mensis Mārtius",
      "mensis Martius#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Mavors",
      "Mavors#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Bislama",
      "lang_code": "bi",
      "word": "maj"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "মার্চ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "marco"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Burmese",
      "lang_code": "my",
      "word": "မတ်",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mat"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Chichewa",
      "lang_code": "ny",
      "word": "Malichi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Choctaw",
      "lang_code": "cho",
      "word": "Mach",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dari",
      "lang_code": "fa",
      "word": "مارچ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mârč"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hausa",
      "lang_code": "ha",
      "word": "Maris",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hawaiian",
      "lang_code": "haw",
      "word": "Malaki",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "word": "मार्च",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "mārc"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "Mac",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "Māehe",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Marshallese",
      "lang_code": "mh",
      "word": "M̧aaj",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Mokilese",
      "lang_code": "mkj",
      "word": "mahj",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tokelauan",
      "lang_code": "tkl",
      "word": "Māti",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tongan",
      "lang_code": "to",
      "word": "Maʻasi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The third month of the Gregorian calendar, following February and preceding April, containing the northward equinox.",
        "A surname from Middle English for someone born in March, or for someone living near a boundary (marche).",
        "A male given name from English.",
        "A locality in the Cabonne council area, central New South Wales, Australia."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually",
        "uncommon"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f75d87f1ec1f482bc7ecdbf0a236c32031225e757be5dba239051bff5479d83",
      "rawRecordSha256": "da1215b5038a1c7c579f4739d607774182e074781d9e699ca03f5342eee75942",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 329424
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for March →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TWFyY2g